macbob
  • macbob
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14 years ago
http://www.freep.com/article/20110208/SPORTS01/102080396/1049/rss14 

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Long after the final streams of confetti had trickled down from Cowboys Stadium, acknowledging the Packers' 31-25 Super Bowl XLV victory over the Steelers, MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers gave a terrifying take-notice to the rest of the NFL.

"We got one so far," Rodgers said. "We're going to make a run next year. But tonight, we're going to enjoy this."

Even in the Not For Long league, the Packers have pieced together a roster good enough and young enough to contend for the foreseeable future.

Rodgers was playing like the best quarterback in football even before he led three pristine touchdown drives against Pittsburgh's top-ranked scoring defense. Clay Matthews is one of the game's top pass rushers, with 23 1/2 sacks in his first two seasons.

And B.J. Raji, A.J. Hawk, Tramon Williams and Greg Jennings also are members of Green Bay's under-28 core locked up through next season, at least.

The Packers are a model organization in how they have built and who they have built with.

So what can the Lions learn from the Super Bowl champs? And more important, what must the playoff-starved franchise do to surpass its rivals in the treacherous NFC North?

The Green Bay way

ARLINGTON, Texas -- In the NFL, building through the draft is the only sustainable, efficient way to go.

Lions general manager Martin Mayhew said as much when he ascended to power after 2008's winless season, and the Green Bay Packers proved that again Sunday with a 31-25 victory over Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV.

Of the 22 Packers who started in the Super Bowl, 17 were drafted by Green Bay. Linebacker Frank Zombo signed as an undrafted rookie out of Central Michigan. Cornerback Tramon Williams was developed through the practice squad after a brief stint with Houston. Defensive end Howard Green was claimed off waivers. And cornerback Charles Woodson and defensive end Ryan Pickett came as free agents, although only Woodson would qualify as a big-name signing.

By acquiring and nurturing most of their talent, the Packers have kept costs down and a steady stream of hungry, well-schooled replacements available. Cornerback Sam Shields, another undrafted rookie, played most of the fourth quarter in Woodson's place.

Under Mayhew, the Lions' desire is to avoid high-priced free-agents, although last off-season they splurged on Kyle Vanden Bosch and Nate Burleson.

Those additions were meant to plug holes left by years of draft neglect. The Lions have nothing to show from 2002 to 2005, when they took a quarterback (Joey Harrington) and three receivers (Charles Rogers, Roy Williams and Mike Williams) in the first round.

In the same drafts, the Packers unearthed starters Nick Collins, Scott Wells and Nick Barnett (who's on injured reserve and missed the Super Bowl), and found maybe the game's best quarterback in Aaron Rodgers.

As the Lions enter this off-season with sincere hopes of breaking an 11-year playoff drought, there are lessons to be learned from those picks and the Packers.


Best Player Available is the way to go: Green Bay did not need Rodgers in 2005. Brett Favre was still playing at a high level -- he had a revival of sorts a year earlier, throwing for 4,088 yards and 30 touchdowns -- but when Rodgers, a potential No. 1 overall pick, slid to 24, the Packers had done enough homework to know he was their man.

The Lions' drafts have been ready-made the past two years. Matthew Stafford was the obvious choice with the first pick in 2009, and last year there were some who thought Ndamukong Suh was a steal at No. 2.

Things won't be quite as clear this year, when the Lions draft 13th. That's still high enough to get a cornerstone playmaker, but it might not be at one of their two neediest positions (linebacker and cornerback).

The draft is stacked on the defensive line this year, the Lions' deepest position. Still, there's merit to taking a pass rusher or run clogger if that's the best player on your board. Rogers sat for three years and at 27 is a star. Three years from now, there's no guarantee anyone but Suh still will be on the Lions' front.

Hesitation can hurt: The Packers drafted Brian Brohm in the second round in 2008, and Brohm looked like a bust from the moment he stepped on the field. Rather than for wait him to develop, Green Bay cut Brohm before he ever appeared in a game.

General manager Ted Thompson made similarly tough (and unpopular) decisions to trade disgruntled receiver Javon Walker and the legendary Favre.

Mayhew is a ruthless GM who's approaching his own hard decisions. It's easy to hold on to unproductive third-round pick Derrick Williams when the playoffs are a pipe dream, and difficult sometimes to admit your mistakes the minute they become clear. But tough choices can pay big dividends. For Favre, the Packers got a third-round pick from the Jets they used to trade up to draft Clay Matthews.

Stick with him: No one in the organization is trying to move on from Stafford, and doing so now despite two injury-riddled seasons would be silly. Stafford turned 23 on Monday, has been paid most of his money, and as good as the Packers and Steelers were defensively, the NFL is still a quarterback's game.

Rodgers passed for 304 yards and three touchdowns in the Super Bowl and is the biggest reason the Packers are NFL champs.

Stafford doesn't have anywhere near Rodgers' pocket presence, and his ability to take a hit is a question. But he has as good an arm as there is in the NFL.

If Stafford makes good on his promise, there's a good chance the Lions will, too.

Detroit Free Press wrote:

TOPackerFan
14 years ago
Good read, but the Lions are a lot closer to being good than it looks. They had a really high scoring Offense last year (without their #1 QB for a lot of it) and have as good a DL as there is in the NFL. The only real weak link, and it's a big one, is the back 7 on D, but one good draft can change that. I'd expect the NFC North to be a two team race between the Packers and Lions for the next 3 or 4 years to come.
Show me a good loser, I'll show you a loser - Vince
Fan Shout
dfosterf (17h) : I think it would be great to have someone like Tom Grossi or Andy Herman on the Board of Directors so he/they could inform us
dfosterf (17h) : Fair enough, WPR. Thing is, I have been a long time advocate to at least have some inkling of the dynamics within the board.
wpr (26-Jun) : 1st world owners/stockholders problems dfosterf.
Martha Careful (25-Jun) : I would have otherwise admirably served
dfosterf (25-Jun) : Also, no more provision for a write-in candidate, so Martha is off the table at least for this year
dfosterf (25-Jun) : You do have to interpret the boring fine print, but all stockholders all see he is on the ballot
dfosterf (25-Jun) : It also says he is subject to another ballot in 2028. I recall nothing of this nature with Murphy
dfosterf (25-Jun) : Ed Policy is on my ballot subject to me penciling him in as a no.
dfosterf (25-Jun) : I thought it used to be we voted for the whatever they called the 45, and then they voted for the seven, and then they voted for Mark Murphy
dfosterf (25-Jun) : Because I was too lazy to change my address, I haven't voted fot years until this year
dfosterf (25-Jun) : of the folks that run this team. I do not recall Mark Murphy being subject to our vote.
dfosterf (25-Jun) : Ed Policy yay or nay is on the pre-approved ballot that we always approve because we are uninformed and lazy, along with all the rest
dfosterf (25-Jun) : Weird question. Very esoteric. For stockholders. Also lengthy. Sorry. Offseason.
Zero2Cool (25-Jun) : Maybe wicked wind chill made it worse?
Mucky Tundra (25-Jun) : And then he signs with Cleveland in the offseason
Mucky Tundra (25-Jun) : @SharpFootball WR Diontae Johnson just admitted he refused to enter a game in 41° weather last year in Baltimore because he felt “ice cold”
Zero2Cool (24-Jun) : Yawn. Rodgers says he is "pretty sure" this be final season.
Zero2Cool (23-Jun) : PFT claims Packers are having extension talks with Zach Tom, Quay Walker.
Mucky Tundra (20-Jun) : GB-Minnesota 2004 Wild Card game popped up on my YouTube page....UGH
beast (20-Jun) : Hmm 🤔 re-signing Walker before Tom? Sounds highly questionable to me.
Mucky Tundra (19-Jun) : One person on Twitter=cannon law
Zero2Cool (19-Jun) : Well, to ONE person on Tweeter
Zero2Cool (19-Jun) : According to Tweeter
Zero2Cool (19-Jun) : Packers are working on extension for LT Walker they hope to have done before camp
dfosterf (18-Jun) : E4B landed at Andrews last night
dfosterf (18-Jun) : 101 in a 60
dfosterf (18-Jun) : FAFO
Zero2Cool (18-Jun) : one year $4m with incentives to make it up to $6m
dfosterf (18-Jun) : Or Lions
dfosterf (18-Jun) : Beats the hell out of a Vikings signing
Zero2Cool (18-Jun) : Baltimore Ravens now have signed former Packers CB Jaire Alexander.
dfosterf (14-Jun) : TWO magnificent strikes for touchdowns. Lose the pennstate semigeezer non nfl backup
dfosterf (14-Jun) : There was minicamp Thursday. My man Taylor Engersma threw
dfosterf (11-Jun) : There will be a mini camp practice Thursday.
Zero2Cool (11-Jun) : He's been sporting a ring for a while now. It's probably Madonna.
Martha Careful (10-Jun) : We only do the tea before whoopee, it relaxes me.
wpr (10-Jun) : That's awesome Martha.
Mucky Tundra (10-Jun) : How's the ayahuasca tea he makes, Martha?
Martha Careful (10-Jun) : Turns out he like older women
Martha Careful (10-Jun) : I wasn't supposed to say anything, but yes the word is out and we are happy 😂😂😂
Mucky Tundra (10-Jun) : I might be late on this but Aaron Rodgers is now married
Mucky Tundra (10-Jun) : Well he can always ask his brother for pointers
Zero2Cool (10-Jun) : Bo Melton taking some reps at CB as well as WR
Zero2Cool (10-Jun) : key transactions coming today at 3pm that will consume more cap in 2025
Zero2Cool (9-Jun) : Jaire played in just 34 of a possible 68 games since the start of the 2021 season
Zero2Cool (9-Jun) : reported, but not expected to practice
Zero2Cool (9-Jun) : Jenkins has REPORTED for mandatory camp
Zero2Cool (9-Jun) : I really thought he'd play for Packers.
buckeyepackfan (9-Jun) : Packers releasing Jaire Alexander.
Mucky Tundra (8-Jun) : (Context: he wants his defense to create turnovers)
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